India’s (Unofficial) Olympic Theme Tune

Musicians Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire are asking Indians to cheer the 81 athletes who are competing for their country at the 2012 London Olympics.

They put together a track with an accompanying music video for this purpose. Uploaded on YouTube last week, it is rapidly gaining popularity, with already more than half-a-million views.

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The main idea behind the song is to draw attention to sports other than cricket, which don’t have much of a following in India. “We tend to neglect sports and that’s just sad. We want to inspire people come forward and just cheer,” says Mr. Kirkire, who wrote the song’s lyrics.

The video shows children growing up to become several of India’s top athletes, as sheets of bubble wrap become boxing gloves, buckets of water tied to a stick become a weight bar, and a walking stick for the elderly becomes a hockey stick.

The aim of the video is to introduce viewers to India’s Olympians, many of whom come from underprivileged backgrounds.

“We look at their journey and where they come from,” said Mr. Kirkire. For many of them, “to reach these heights is an achievement in itself, we salute that,” he added.

Mr. Moira agrees, saying the discourse surrounding the Olympics should go beyond the medal tally.” Look at the background they are coming from,” he says.

Take the example of boxer M.C Mary Kom: “She comes from one of the most troubled states of the country, is a mother to twin boys,” says Mr. Moitra. “She strived hard to reach where she is today. For me, she is already a winner,” he adds.

“My hope is that heroes will be made at these Olympics and that this will inspire the next generation,” says Mr. Moitra. “We want to create heroes out of these people who are not cricketers.”

The song — “Aap Agar Saath Hain,Toh Jeet Bhi Saath Hai,” (If you are with us, then victory is also with us) – was conceived as a theme tune for an initiative of YouTube India called “It’s Time You Cheer.” As part of this, YouTube is sponsoring a bus aimed at raising support for India’s Olympic athletes in towns and cities around the country.

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